Claims:We claim,
1) The first claim is sound less, energy efficient, low cost, solar power operated clay turning machine (Fig-1 & 2) used for throwing of 2-3 kilogram clay which consumes 60 watts per hour and it can be fabricated at any small manufacturing workshop of any small town.
2) The second claim is multi-function solar controller to run the machine in variable speed, illuminate the house and operate the electronic gadgets (Fig-1.7).
3) The third claim is designing of low cost, soundless, energy efficient geared-motor (planetary or In-line helical gearbox) for clay turning machine which consumes 25 watts at no load condition (Fig-2.9).
4) The fourth claim is the designing of light weighted compact shaft (Fig- 2.6 & 3) which consumes minimum energy and gives vibration free rotation of the faceplate.
5) The fifth claim is the light weighted compact shaft and faceplate (Fig- 2.1) coupled through cast iron coupling plate (Fig- 2.2) which provides vibration-free work on the face plate.
6) The sixth claim is the soundless chain sprocket system (Fig- 5) to attach the motor and shaft which consumes negligible power and protects the motor against any damages which occurs during direct coupling.
7) The seventh claim is that the frame of machine (Fig- 2.4) which is fabricated slight heavy for better stability during operation because at rural area generally the potters are not providing foundation due to lack of space.
8) The eighth claim is the clay turning machine has jerk free change of speed from 0 to 180 by electronic speed regulator (Fig- 6) which gives opportunity to the potters to prepare desirable artefacts on turn-table.
9) Having all components as per claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 & 8 is constituted the solar power operated energy efficient clay turning machine.

, Description:Complete specification
Title – “Low cost, energy efficient, solar clay turning machine for small terracotta article”

Field of Invention :
This invention is concerned with development of energy efficient clay turning machine run by solar power in order to reduce dependency on electric supply for the production of small pottery products at remote and isolated areas.

Prior Art:
The demand of pottery product in the society is changed and today only small pottery items are in regular demands. For the preparation of small pottery items small portable clay turning machine is sufficient. Earlier some patents are available on electric motor operated clay turning machine is US 3,894,830, 1975, Variable speed drive for a potter’s wheel, US 7,114,933 B2, 2006, Electrically driven potter’s wheel. But this invention is not able to fulfil the need of poor potters. The patent application No -201621000474 “Energy efficient heavy duty clay turning machine” disclosed the clay turning machine consumes 90 watts per hour and cost of machine is around Rs35,000/- which is suitable for preparation of all types of pottery items. But cost wise this clay turning machine is not viable for potters who are economically too backward and preparing only small pottery items. Their need is small machine which consumes less power and available at lesser cost. Also another patent application No - 201621006238 “Energy efficient low cost general purpose AC driven clay turning machine” disclosed that it consumes 100 watts per hour and suitable for AC power supply only. Compare to other alternative current operated machine it is highly energy efficient but operation through solar power is not viable.
Also today especially in the rural area of most of third world countries irregular electric power is very common phenomena. The financial position of rural artisans is very poor. It is very difficult for them to purchase any machine for their production unit. In that case the machines must be designed to fulfil the specific need of particular category of artisans and it should be cost effective. Small cost effective solar power operated energy efficient clay turning machine is not available, which can fulfil the needs of poor potters, specially those are below poverty line and it is suitable for the production of small pottery items like Diya, Kulhars, etc.

Objective :
The objective of present invention as follows –
1) to develop highly energy efficient solar power operated clay turning machine suitable for isolated / backward areas where electricity is not available,
2) to develop cost effective solar power operated clay turning machine suitable for preparation of small items and viable for the artisans of below poverty.

Summary:
Despite of huge investments in electric power generation, the electricity is still out of reach for most of rural population. It is recognised by many that one of the main causes of third world countries lack of progress in the rural areas is the inadequate and unreliable electricity supply and modern energy services. In most of villages after sunset the life becomes idle. Development of solar power operated energy efficient equipment uplift the rural life.
So the most important factor is to develop an energy efficient, low cost, solar power operated energy efficient clay turning machine because if the present AC operated machine will be driven with alternative power source then the size of solar penal and battery will increase which will increase the cost and by any mean it will not feasible to anyone. So in this juncture the most important factor was to develop a series of energy efficient clay turning machines which must be designed on the nature of works and overall load.
Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Rural Industrialization (MGIRI) being an apex Research & Development institute under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India, has taken initiative to develop an energy efficient low cost potter’s wheel run by solar power. The aim of this invention is to develop a series of energy efficient clay turning machine for Indian rural pottery artisan which can be operated by solar power with battery backup.
While doing so, the efforts were made by different R & D institutions have been carefully reviewed to incorporate meaningful aspects of design. The major benefits that the pottery artisans may get from this invention are as follows:
- solar power operated energy efficient clay turning machine for production of small terracotta products will be affordable to majority of potters,
- elimination of dependency on electric supply for assured production of pottery products,
- increases in the productivity and reduction of cost through efficient use of man and machine,
- increases in income and improvement in standard of life.
The total approximate cost involved is Rs. 25,000/- for manufacturing the complete clay turning machine, this includes energy efficient clay turning machine, solar power supply, 7Ah 24 volt battery, 24 volts 100 watts solar panels and cable. The machine is very easy to manufacture at small fabrication workshop having facility of turning, welding and drilling also it is very easy to operate, requires low maintenance, portable and it can changes the overall life style of pottery artisans.

Invention :
The invention is focused on the development of low cost, portable, energy efficient solar power operated clay turning machine. The average power consumption is 60 watts per hour which reduces the size and cost of solar panel and battery. It results long working hours with assured production of pottery small items.

Introduction :
During field survey it was observed that the potters are not able to supply the products in time because most of machines are AC motor operated without any power backup. In most of Indian rural villages there is lack of continuous supply of electric power. Even they are getting 4 to 6 hours electric supply and which is not in fixed hours.
During 2011-12, Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Rural Industrialization, Wardha, Maharashtra, India, decided to design and develop an energy efficient solar power operated clay turning machines for rural pottery artisan which is suitable for preparation of small pottery items.

Inventive step :
For effective use of solar power it is necessary to develop a low cost energy efficient machine and because saving of each watt will reduce the size of batteries and solar panel, which will directly affect the overall cost of complete system and increase the useful working hours of machine. But in the market cost effective, energy efficient clay turning machine suitable for preparation of small pottery items is not available. The different clay turning machines were studied and following points were recorded-
1) At Indian market maximum clay turning machines are AC motor operated,
2) The average power consumption is more than 200 watts, whereas the maximum energy is consumed by the speed reduction systems.
3) DC motor operated machines are very few and most of are inefficient.
For the development of a solar power operated energy efficient machine, it is necessary to reduce the power consumption of each component of machine. So each component is developed after thorough study and experimentation. The energy efficient, low cost, solar power operated clay turning machines is developed and the power consumption is recorded around 60 watts per hour, for turning of 2-3 kilogram clay per batch, which is recordable achievement, details as follows –
1. Multi function solar controller
An efficient solar controller is developed to harness all available energy through solar panel. The main objective of solar controller is to run the machine with variable speed with minimum loses and maximum efficiency. A system is developed with following specifications –
a) Input supply – 24 Volts DC from solar panel
b) Battery storage – 20Ah, 27 volts DC
c) Output supply – 24 volts DC, 160 watts with speed control system for machine operation.
d) LED driver – In the system LED driver is used to maintain a constant current through LED string which maintains the brightness, low battery shutdown is provided to prevent high discharge of battery .
e) Mobile charger cum FM/mp3 player – A multipurpose USB socket is provided for mobile charging as well as for connecting the USB flash drive, loaded with mp3 music files. The mp3 card works on 5volts DC, it is also able to play FM channels. FM / mp3 modes can be selected using infrared remote controller.
Through this solar power controller the battery can be charged as per the requirement of artisan. The required power is used by the clay turning machine and excess power will be stored in the battery bank. If the artisan wants to illuminate his house and run another machines and other electronic gadgets then he has to increase the capacity of solar panel and size of battery for storage.
2. Selection of energy efficient motor -
During different experiments it was observed that the clay turning work for small items needs maximum power during cantering of clay and afterwards gradually the power requirement reduces even it reaches below 25 watts for finishing of small items. So in that case it is clear that for development of an energy efficient system the DC motor will be a right choice because when speed reduces the torque became constant. So finally 24 volts DC, 3.5 A, 150 rpm, 35 Kgcm torque geared motor operated system is selected for clay turning machine. After lab and field trials it is observed that for small work it is the cheapest and energy efficient machine and suitable for poor artisans.
3. Soundless power transmission system -
According to principles of ergonomics the ideal working height with comfortable sitting posture for working of 8 or more hours with clay turning machine is 450 mm. It was the safest option that the shaft of motor can be coupled with the main shaft of machine but it creates so many complications like height of machine is increased beyond 450 mm. Then it is observed that the power transmission below 600 rpm with chain and sprocket is soundless and it consumes less than 5 watts. So from geared motor to shaft the power is transferred by suitable noiseless chain and sprockets system.
4. Vibration free face plate and shaft –
Generally during designing of shaft, it is necessary to follow the safety measures and selected the next size of diameter which increases the power consumption. During designing the energy efficient clay turning machine like other components of the clay turning machine, the diameter and length of shafts is reduced upto maximum extent and quality of material is opted strong enough and branded. The light weighted compact shaft is designed to operate the system very efficiently to reduce the size of clay turning machine and it reduces the vibration of machine without consuming much energy. The light weighted 8 mm thick, 330 mm diameter face plate is designed and manufacture by cast aluminium. The shaft and face plate is joint with the help of cast iron coupling plate. The compact shaft is fixed by rigid type UCP 204 bearing. The vibration free assembling of cast aluminium face plate, cast iron coupling plate, compact shaft, rigid type UCP 204 bearing and chain-socket system is considered to be an art and without question “hands on experience” of turner or machinist. Minor negligence of machinist will create slight vibration on the face plate and the vibration will boost as the height of object will increase which will make difficult the finishing of pottery object.
5. Smooth speed regulation system –
In most of clay turning machine foot pedal operated speed regulator or hand operated three step knob operated is being used. During trial both the systems are rejected by the artisans. They preferred the hand operated knob with for speed regulation from 0 to 180 rpm by an electronic speed regulation system. In this system they can select any desire rpm as per their need. It makes freedom of work on desire speed without any jerk and chances of damage.
6. Development of heavy duty frame –
A portable angle iron frame is developed for vibration free work because in rural area the artisans are not able to spare a fixed place for foundation of machine. Generally after completing their daily work the artisans are prefer to keep the machine in a corner of their house. So 35 x 35 x 5 size angle iron is used to fabricate the frame of potter’s wheel. During work the heavy frame gives complete stability to the clay turning machine.
7. Easy to manufacture –
The machine’s design is too systematic and simple to manufacture at small workshop with the facility of turning, welding and drilling. It reduces the unnecessary transportation cost and makes machine cheaper.

Novelty:
The novelties of the energy efficient solar power operated clay turning machine as follows -
1) For village pottery production introduction of solar power operated, portable, energy efficient, soundless clay turning machine (Fig-1 & 2).
2) Multi function solar controller is developed to run the machine in variable speed, illuminate the house by LED and operates the electronic gadgets (Fig-1.7).
3) For clay turning machine selection of cost effective & energy efficient motor with appropriate planetary gear box for generation of suitable torque (Fig-2.9).
4) Noiseless power transmission achieved from motor to main shaft through chain & sprocket system (Fig- 5).
5) For vibration free work the specially designed light weighted cast aluminum face plate (Fig- 2.1) and light weighted compact 25 mm diameter shaft (Fig- 2.6 & 3) fitted with rigid type UCP 204 bearing which are coupled with the help of cast iron coupling plate (Fig- 2.2).
6) During throwing of clay the entire mud is arrested by mud protection plate (Fig- 2.3).
7) Jerk free variable speed regulation system (Fig- 6) gives opportunity to make desirable clay artifacts.
8) The solar power operated energy efficient clay turning machine for production of small terracotta products is available at affordable price approximately Rs30,000/- (including clay turning machine, 100 watts solar panel, 20 Ah, 24 volts wet tubular battery, cable and LED illumination system) to majority of potters.
9) The field trial established that the potter’s machine completely eliminates the dependency on electric supply and focuses on assured production of pottery products.
10) Continuous operation increases the productivity and reduces the cost of production through efficient use of man and machine.
11) It is found from the results of different field trials that the overall income of an artisan increases more than 300 percentages and illumination of houses improves the overall standard of lifestyle.
12) The machine is developed for start-up of entrepreneur.

Attachments :
Compulsory – The following components can be fitted in the machine -
1) Solar power supply system.
2) An electronic speed regulation system to regulate the speed regulation from 0 to 180 rpm by.
3) For vibration free operation rigid type UCP 204 bearings
Optional- Following components may be selected as per need and availability in local market -
1) Any type of motor can be used like PMDC or BLDC motor, etc.
2) Geared motor of 24 volts, 3.5 to 8.3 Amp, speed 150 to 250 rpm and torque 35 to 60 kg cm can be selected as per need. The planetary gearbox for motor of above 8.3 Amp is very costly and that may not be economically viable.
3) Type of gear may be planetary or In-line helical gearbox.
4) Face plate can be made by cast aluminium or cast iron or fibre body or acrylic sheet.
5) Good quality chain & sprocket can be used from any type of two wheelers.
6) Power supply system – only for machine operation, or multifunction solar controller or multifunction composite power supply system
7) The power supply system can be operated by 12, 24, 36 volts DC.
8) Size of battery - 7 Ah to 150 Ah
9) Size of solar panel – 24 volts, 100 watts to 300 watts
10) If foundation facility is available then frame can be made by light angle iron like 30 x 30 x 5 mm
11) Size of mud protection plate is as per convenient of artisan.

Field Trial :

For field trial the solar power operated energy efficient clay turning machine, is issued to Mr Motiram Khandre, village Peth, district Nagpur, State Maharashtra. The MGIRI review committee (Anonymous, 2014) interacted with the Mr Khandare, and as per the inputs received the solar power operated energy efficient clay turning machine has resulted in multiple benefits to the beneficiary –
1) the new design enables them to operate the solar based clay turning machine which directly increases the productivity as the beneficiary no longer has to depend upon the electrical power.
2) the battery attached to the system stores the power from the solar and enables the beneficiary to work as per their convenience and time suitability, thus giving freedom to work at any point in time.
3) it illuminates the house and changes the lifestyle.

References :
1. A. K. Gupta and Nagesh 2004, Techno-economic roadmap for up gradation of rural potters & their terracotta products, report submitted to MBI, KVIC

2. Anonymous, 2014, “Evaluation study of projects of MGIRI”, Submitted to Ministry of MSME, GOI, Unpublished report, page. 132-135.

3. Mishra, S P., 2014, “Report of National workshop on Latest machines & process for pottery industry” Submitted to Ministry of MSME, GOI, Unpublished report, page. 29-30.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1. Solar power operated potter’s machine
1.1. Solar Panel
1.2. Cable
1.3. Battery
1.4. LED for illumination
1.5. Clay turning machine
1.6. Solar controller
1.7. Socket to run electronic gadgets
Figure 2. Clay turning machine
2.1. Light weighted face plate made by cast aluminium
2.2. Cast iron coupling plate
2.3. Stainless steel mud protection plate
2.4. Heavy duty frame
2.5. Handle
2.6. Light weighted compact shaft with UCP 204 bearing
2.7. Light weighted energy efficient chain & sprocket system
2.8. Motor mounting plate
2.9. Geared PMDC motor
Figure 3. Systematic diagram of main shaft of clay turning machine
3.1. UCP 204 bearing seat of Ø20 mm
3.2. Counters for face plate fastener
3.3. Counters for sprocket fastener
Figure 4. A side view of main shaft with UCP bearing, coupling plate and face plate
4.1. Face plate
4.2. Coupling plate
4.3. Light weighted compact shaft
Figure 5. Top view of chain & sprocket system of clay turning machine
5.1. Light weighted energy efficient small sprocket
5.2. Light weighted energy efficient chain
Figure 6. A side view of solar power operated speed regulation system
7.1. Solar power operated speed regulation system